EXCLUSIVE: Shona McGarty is set to leave her EastEnders role as Whitney Dean and a PR expert has revealed exactly what the BBC soap star could do after quitting Albert Square
Shona McGarty is set to leave EastEnders after playing Whitney Dean for 16 years.
The actress made her debut in the BBC One soap back in 2008 and has taken centre stage in some hard-hitting storylines including her sexual abuse by Tony King, being stalked by Tony’s son Leo King (Tom Wells) and being impregnated by Zack Hudson (James Farrar) and discovering that her baby has Edwards syndrome and omphalocele, which ultimately lead to her deciding to terminate her pregnancy.
The child sexual abuse storyline between Whitney and Tony marked the first time that the subject matter has been broached in a UK soap opera and the matter was researched and developed with advice and approval from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
Last year, it was confirmed that Shona will be leaving EastEnders. The actress told The Sun on Sunday at the time that she is spreading her wings but “loved her years on the show”, adding: “I have been trusted with some incredible storylines and have made amazing friendships – and family – which will endure.”
Culture and brand expert Rochelle White, of Rochelle White Agency, told Daily Star: “I feel that Shona will take a bit of a break after EastEnders and I think she’ll look at her options. I could see her taking part in shows like Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing on Ice, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! or shows similar if she decides to take a break from acting and do something fun and also show the public who she is as a person and not as an actress.
“She has also shown her singing talents and could even combine her acting and singing and head to the West End. I could see her in a show like Chicago, Grease or Hairspray. Either way, I feel that she will take a break, build her personal profile and have fun with it.” Shona has been showcasing her singing talents since she was a teenager.
In 2012, she performed Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come on Children in Need, released a charity song for Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2018, covered The Beatles’ Let It Be in 2021 for the charity Mind and last year sang at the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance for BBC1
